26th July, 1868.—­I have to stand the stare of a crowd of people at every new place for hours:  all usually talk as quickly as their glib tongues can; these certainly do not belong to the tribes who are supposed to eke out their language by signs!  A few indulge their curiosity in sight-seeing, but go on steadily weaving nets, or by beating bark-cloth, or in spinning cotton, others smoke their big tobacco pipes, or nurse a baby, or enjoy the heat of the bright morning sun.  I walked across the north end of the island, and found it to be about one mile broad, I also took bearings of Chirubi Island from the eastern point of Mpabala, and found from the south-east point of Chirubi that there are 183 deg. of sea horizon from it to the point of departure of the Luapula.  Chirubi is the largest of the islands, and contains a large population, possessing many sheep and goats.  At the highest part of Mpabala we could see the tops of the trees on Kasango, a small uninhabited islet, about thirty miles distant:  the tops of the trees were evidently lifted up by the mirage, for near the shore and at other parts they were invisible, even with a good glass.  This uninhabited islet would have been our second stage had we been allowed to cross the Lake, as it is of the people themselves; it is as far beyond it to the mainland, called Manda, as from Masantu’s to Mpabala.

27th July, 1868.—­Took lunars and stars for latitude.

The canoe-men now got into a flurry, because they were told here that the Kisi men had got an inkling that their canoe was here, and were coming to take it; they said to me that they would come back for me, but I could not trust thieves to be so honest.  I thought of seizing their paddles, and appealing to the headmen of the island; but aware from past experience how easy it is for acknowledged thieves like them to get up a tale to secure the cheap sympathy of the soft-headed, or tender-hearted, I resolved to bear with meekness, though groaning inwardly, the loss of two of the four days for which I had paid them.  I had only my coverlet to hire another canoe, and it was now very cold; the few beads left would all be required to buy food in the way back, I might have got food by shooting buffaloes, but that on foot and through grass, with stalks as thick as a goose quill, is dreadfully hard work; I had thus to return to Masantu’s, and trust to the distances as deduced from the time taken by the natives in their canoes for the size of the Lake.

We had come to Mpabala at the rate of six knots an hour, and returned in the same time with six stout paddlers.  The latitude was 12’ in a south-east course, which may give 24’ as the actual distance.  To the sleeping-place, the Islet Kasango, there was at least 28’ more, and from thence to the mainland “Manda,” other 28’.  This 24 + 28 + 28 = 80’ as the breadth from Masantu village, looking south-east.  It lies in 11 deg. 0’ S. If we add on the half distance to this